overnight
Americanadverb
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for or during the night.
to stay overnight.
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on or during the previous evening.
Preparations were made overnight.
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very quickly; suddenly.
New suburbs sprang up overnight.
adjective
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done, made, occurring, or continuing during the night.
an overnight stop; an overnight decision.
-
staying for one night.
a group of overnight guests.
-
designed to be used on a trip or for a journey lasting one night or only a few nights.
-
intended for delivery on the next day.
overnight letters; an overnight package.
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valid for one night.
The corporal got an overnight pass.
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occurring suddenly or within a very short time.
a comedian who became an overnight sensation.
noun
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Informal. an overnight stay or trip.
Our daughter had an overnight at a friend's house.
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Informal. a permit for overnight absence, as from a college dormitory.
She had an overnight the night of the prom.
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the previous evening.
verb (used without object)
-
overnights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overnighted,
past participle, past
-
overnighting
present participle
adverb
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for the duration of the night
we stopped overnight
-
in or as if in the course of one night; suddenly
the situation changed overnight
adjective
-
done in, occurring in, or lasting the night
an overnight stop
-
staying for one night
overnight guests
-
lasting one night
an overnight trip
an overnight bank loan
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for use during a single night
overnight clothes
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occurring in or as if in the course of one night; sudden
an overnight victory
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overnightsimple
-
overnightssimple
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have overnightedperfect
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has overnightedperfect
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am overnightingprogressive
-
are overnightingprogressive
-
is overnightingprogressive
-
have been overnightingperfect progressive
-
has been overnightingperfect progressive
Past
-
overnightedsimple
-
had overnightedperfect
-
was overnightingprogressive
-
were overnightingprogressive
-
had been overnightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overnight
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at over-, night
Explanation
When something happens overnight, it occurs during the hours of one night. An overnight party can also be called a sleepover or a slumber party. (Pack your sleeping bag, but you probably won't use it.) You can use overnight as an adverb or adjective literally meaning "during the night" — like an overnight airplane flight or a guest who stays overnight on your couch. You can also use it figuratively, to mean "quickly" or "instant." After you publish your first book, you may be an overnight success; and after an important election, the world may seem to change overnight.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ramp and lane closures willbegin overnight Friday ahead of the complete shutdown at midnight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
"It happened so quickly virtually overnight," he said in 1986.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Under Eck, New Mexico’s turnaround has happened almost overnight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
An election can change the balance of power overnight.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
“I’m staying overnight the whole week. Our house is getting painted, so my mom thought it would be good timing for me to get in extra practice.”
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
And a few more hospital overnights than were on the holiday itinerary...
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Nobody imagined using Wi-Fi to livestream Thursday Night Football from a multinational tech conglomerate that also overnights toilet paper and garden gnomes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
“As the heat builds day by day there will be little relief during the overnights, especially within the Las Vegas valley and Death Valley National Park,” the warning said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
Hill has nurses come in to monitor his son on most overnights, but he delivers care during the day.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
The chosen ones returned from restaurant meals and overnights hand in hand with their new “mom” and “dad.”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
We overnighted in places where we could take the trees out of the van, water them and give them a couple of hours of light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The pastries look as if they were overnighted from Paris, even as the signature breakfast sandwich — a biscuit with fried chicken, pimento cheese and hot honey — showcases Southern cuisine.
From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2024
He said he paid extra to have it overnighted to his home.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 13, 2023
Then he ordered a new one online and overnighted it to his location.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 20, 2022
My sister overnighted me an oximeter so I could monitor my oxygen and heartbeat, and my oxygen level dipped to 90 but no lower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2021
To complete our 600-mile loop, we headed south via car ferry to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, overnighting in the pretty fishing town of Stykkishólmur.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
BTW: If you’re overnighting in Paso Robles, consider Sensorio, a walk-through display of ever-changing lights, most of it concocted by artist Bruce Munro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2025
The men in separate canoes were returning to shore after overnighting on the lake’s Deer Island.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
Since then, he’s been a fixture in Madrona, overnighting on metal bus benches that were impossibly small for his big frame, then lugging his bags up and down the hills.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
Sometimes he travelled closer to the city, overnighting in places like the Merri Creek reserve.
From Underground by Suelette Dreyfus
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